Without You, Conrad ☀︎︎

Love Sick

As soon as I called around and found out it was Aunt Julia selling the house, I called her to give her a piece of my mind. How could she be selling our house? My mom's house?

"Hello, who is this?" She asked over the phone. I felt the anger soaring through my veins. The house wasn't hers to sell. My mom would be pissed if she knew my bitch of an aunt was selling the house. She didn't have the right. She didn't even come to the funeral.

"Hey, Aunt Julia. It's Conrad." She seemed uptight as soon as she recognized me. "Hello, Conrad. I'm surprised to hear from you. Do you need something? I'm busy at the moment and don't have much time to talk."

My voice grew deeper as I bitterly answered, "Yeah. Since when did you give a shit about my mom's house in Cousins? How are you even allowed to sell it? It belongs to me and my brother." She immediately sounded annoyed and said, "No, Conrad. The house in Massachusetts belonged to your mother and me. I've already made up my mind about the sale."

"You couldn't even make it to my mom's funeral, but you're selling her favorite place on earth. You're really a great sister, Julia. I'm sure my mom would just be thrilled if she were here to find out that the older sister she used to look up to is selling her most prized possession," I growled in return.

She sounded too firm when she replied, "This is not your decision, Conrad. I'm sorry you're upset, but there's nothing you can do to stop me. The house is legally mine."

That bitch. "You just want it for the money. You don't even give a shit about what it means to your own family!"

"My family has never stayed at the house like your family has. I did when I was younger. Those days are long over, Conrad. It's nothing personal," she said in a monotone voice.

"Jeremiah and I are your family too, and-- and we don't even have a mom anymore. Can't you just think of someone else besides your goddamn self for a minute?" I asked as the anger pierced through my voice.

"I already told you, Conrad, this isn't personal. I have to get back to work. Goodbye," Aunt Julia said distantly before hanging up.

"GODDAMN IT!" I shouted in the kitchen, slamming my fist on the island.

I went upstairs to go get some things ready for the night. I was prepared to sleep in the beach house for as long as it took to get my goddamn aunt to cancel the sale.

The next day, Conrad had been in the living room after eating outside for a total of maybe ten minutes when his brother arrived.

"What the fuck are you doing here?!" Jeremiah Fisher asked with the most confrontation anger.
"Jere, the house has been put up for sale," Conrad said, looking his little brother directly in the eyes.

Then someone... even more unexpected walked into the room. "What do you mean, the house is for sale?"

As soon as I heard her voice, my heart started beating a million times a minute.
Belly was here. In Cousins. At the summer house. And she had come with Jeremiah.

I... I didn't even know they were speaking to each other again.

When I met her eyes, they looked darker than normal. She was clearly going through shit too. I couldn't even ask her directly.

"What is she doing here?"

"So, this is why you haven't answered any of my calls or texts?" Jere began questioning.

Conrad looked away from Belly and back and Jeremiah and said, "Jere. Jere. Did you not hear what I just said? We're going to lose this house. Mom's house."